Stolen Memories of Devotion
by DamonsChewToy
Summary: What will happen when Elena goes to confront Damon about turning Bonnie's Mom  Abby  only to end up with Damon accidentally triggering Elena's memory of the night he first confessed his love for her then took it all away? Takes place after 3x15.
1. Chapter 1

**Stolen Memories of Devotion**

***Synopsis: What will happen when Elena goes to confront Damon about turning Bonnie's Mom (Abby) only to end up with Damon accidentally triggering Elena's memory of the night he first confessed his love for her then took it all away? Takes place after 3x15 "All my Children"  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from TVD… not even Damon sadly but I do like to play with him when I can :D Flashbacks and quotes in this chapter are from 2x08 and 2x18 and I don't own them either.  
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**Chapter 1 – **

Elena was still crying as she made her way to the front door of the boarding house. She doesn't know why she decided to come here after leaving Bonnie's house once it was clear that she was unwelcome. God knows she doesn't need a fight right now, which is what always happens when she confronts Damon about the horrible things he does to save her. But she needs to understand. She needs to know why he did it, knowing that it would once again crush the friendship that they had just put back together. Taking a deep breath and wiping the salty tears from her face, she opens the door and walks in.

As she enters the house she heads towards the parlor, knowing that's where he will be as usual. She also knows that he has been able to hear her from the moment she stepped foot on the property. She stops in the doorway to the parlor and finally lets her eyes fall upon the one person she cares for and somehow also hates most in life… Damon Salvatore.

Damon stands by the liquor table, with a tumbler of his best bourbon in his hand and his back towards the love of his life. 'Ironic considering I've been dead for over 145 years now', he thinks to himself. He can feel her eyes burning holes into his back as she waits for him to acknowledge her presence.

'Well looks like I'm in for the tongue lashing of my unlife… and not in the way I would like either.' He smirks to himself at his last thought as he brings the glass to his lips to finish it off. He takes a second to enjoy the burning sensation as the harsh liquor makes its way down his throat. Then without turning around he opens his mouth and starts round one.

"Staring is rude you know… especially after you've already just walked into someone else's house _uninvited_."

Elena is startled when he speaks and realizes that she had zoned out just watching him and waiting for him to say something. She recovers quickly and pulls herself together as he puts down his glass and slowly turns to look at her.

"Well lucky for me I don't have to work around things like invitations into peoples' houses like you do. And I also seem to remember you and Stefan signing this place over to me so… technically… it is _my_ house."

She mentally smiles to herself as she sees a look come across his face clearly showing that he had forgotten that little tidbit.

Damon slightly cringes when he realizes she's right. 'No matter.' He takes a few steps towards her and gives her his patented smirk, seeing the fire in her eyes that he loves so much and is part of the reason he fell for her in the first place.

"Well look who wore her big girl panties to the party…" He chuckles when he sees the look of anger on her face.

"I take it you didn't ride your high horse over here just for witty banter soooo… What do you want _Elena_.", Drawing out her name as he says it, with the sole intention of ruffling a few of her uptight feathers for the fun of it.

Elena pauses for a moment, slightly taken aback at the fact that he clearly wants to get right to the point instead of teasing her for as long as possible like he usually does. She watches him as he turns back around and walks to pour himself another drink. When it becomes obvious that he's not going to return to staring her down with that icy blue gaze of his that always manages to somehow see right through her, she crosses the room to stand a few feet behind him.

"I need to know why, Damon," she whispers, knowing he will have no problem hearing her.

His hand clenches around the glass as he takes another drink before saying anything.

"Why what?"

"Don't play with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about." She pauses, "You have always been brutally honest with me… and that's what I need you to be right now."

She sees the tension in his back as he thinks over the night's events, readying himself to give her what she's asking for.

Damon knew this was coming but for some reason he wasn't dealing with it as easily as he thought he would. 'Why is she doing this to me? Why can't she just hate me and not want anything to do with me ever again, instead of coming here and wanting to talk about it and _then_ deciding to hate me?'

When he made the decision earlier this evening that it would be him that would be the one to turn Abby Bennet, even though Stefan lost the coin toss, he did it with two memories playing through his mind over and over. The first one was the argument he had had with his brother the night that the littlest Bennet witch faked her own death. 

"_You know you could've told me," Stefan said as he walked down the hallway, following behind Damon.  
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"_How do I know when you're gonna go blabbing things to your girlfriend?" Damon replied, rolling his eyes.  
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"_Do you understand what you've put her through?"  
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"_See… that's why I didn't tell you. Cause you would've never been able to do it. Don't get me wrong_,_ Stefan; I don't mind being the bad guy. I'll make all the life and death decisions while you're busy worrying about collateral damage." He pauses, "I'll even let her hate me for it... But at the end of the day I'll be the one to keep her alive."_

The truth in those words is what has kept him strong through moments like these. Moments where her reaction to all the necessary, nasty little things he does could possibly break him. But of course he would do it all again in a heartbeat, without blinking if he had to. And why wouldn't he… he is the _evil _brother after all, the _monster_ in their midst. Well, according to most, anyway. But none of them really know why… why he does what he has to: for her. 

_Elena walks out of her bathroom ready to crawl into bed after the long horrible day. She doesn't notice him until he speaks, slightly startling her.  
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"_Cute P.J.s," he comments.  
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_She freezes and looks at him. "I'm tired, Damon."  
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_He gets up and walks towards, her holding her vervain necklace up. "I brought you this," he says with a smirk plastered on his face.  
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"_I thought that was gone."  
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_At the look of surprise and happiness on her face he shakes his head no with a slight smile.  
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"_Thank you," Elena says as she moves to accept the necklace from him, only to have him pull it back out of her reach with a pained expression on his face.  
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"_Please give it back," she says, starting to get worried about what he is going to do.  
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"_I just have to say something." Elena takes a step back as Damon takes one towards her.  
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"_Why do you have to say it with my necklace?" She questions.  
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_He pauses and a contemplative look crosses his face before he answers.  
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"_Well, 'cause what I'm about to say is probably the most selfish thing I've ever said in my life."  
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"_Damon, don't go there."  
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"_I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it."  
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_He closes the gap between them and fixes his cerulean eyes on her warm chocolate ones before continuing.  
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"_I love you Elena. And it's because I love you that… I can't be selfish with you… And let you keep doing this. I don't deserve you. But my brother does."  
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_Tears start to well up in his eyes as he leans forward to give her a gentle kiss on her forehead. He pulls back and tucks some of her hair behind her left ear.  
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"_God I wish you didn't have to forget this."  
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_As a tear starts to roll down his face he compels the memory away as he whispers, "But you do."_

Damon snaps out of his thoughts when he hears her voice.

"Damon please." She whispers as she grabs his shoulder, getting him to turn around and face her again.

"You wanna know why, Elena?" He snaps at her, startling her a little.

"I did it for you." He practically growls.

"I did it to save your life for the MILLIONTH time!" He shouts, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling and leaning his head back to emphasize "millionth."

She takes a second to process his words and realizes that she already knew that would be his answer. Remembering the night he told her that, given the choice between her life and someone else's, he would always choose her.

Watching her take in his words he decides to ask her the one question that had been on his mind since he had turned Abby.

"Would you rather it have been Stefan that did it?" He softly asks her, not meeting her gaze when he realizes the question caught her off guard. She probably hadn't yet realized that if he hadn't been the one to do it then her precious _Stefan_ would have.

She stumbles back a few steps as the shock of the whole situation hits her. He didn't just do it for her; he did it for his brother, too. She couldn't seem to wrap her head around it. Damon was supposed to be the selfish, cocky ass who only did things for himself. And yet here he is right in front of her, willing to take all of her hate and anger over something he did to keep her alive, and also so she wouldn't have to hate Stefan for killing someone.

Tears well up in her eyes again as she looks up at him and realizes just how much he actually loves her. So much so that he would risk losing her forever just so she didn't have to feel the pain that Stefan killing Abby would have caused her.

Elena backs up until the back of her knees hit the edge of the couch and she slowly sits down, needing a minute to get her thoughts and feelings in order before continuing their conversation.

She looks up again and watches Damon as he pours himself yet another drink while he gives her a moment to herself. Watching his every movement, she thinks back on everything he has ever done for her and sees how his love has been on display for the whole world to see in all of his actions.

She can't help but think about Stefan and wonders what he would do if the situation was reversed and he was in his brother's shoes. 'Would Stefan let me hate him and give up his chance with me if it meant that me and his brother might one day be happy together?'

When the answer comes to her after thinking it over, it suddenly feels like her body has been dropped into an ice bath. 'No… Stefan would never give me up so I could be with Damon. Not even if he knew that was what I wanted. He would just keep trying to win me back.'

Before even realizing that she had made a conscious decision to move, let alone to go to him, she has closed the distance between them and is standing in front of him where he is now leaning back against the window.

Staring into his eyes trying to find answers as tears slowly run down her face, she takes a deep breath and once again asks him, "Why?"

Damon reaches his hand up to touch her cheek, giving her a small smile when she leans into his hand as his thumb brushes a tear from her beautiful face. Knowing once again exactly what she is asking, he decides to just give her a straight answer this time instead of toying with her and riling her up like he loves to.

He leans forward until their foreheads are touching. She closes her eyes, enjoying the contact. They share a peacefully quiet moment together as she waits for his answer and as he works up the courage to give it.

"I don't deserve you," he finally whispers before pulling back to look at her.

"And I won't… I _can't_ be selfish with you. I just can't."

He takes a step back, breaking all physical contact with her as he tries to gain control over his emotions while waiting for her response.

As he moves away from her, Elena has a strange feeling of déjà vu come over her that she can't quite grasp but that oddly has her feeling like her heart is shattering into pieces. She looks at him with growing alarm as she starts to feel dizzy and the world starts fading to black.

Noticing her start to collapse, Damon catches her before she hits the ground and cradles her in his arms. As he starts to panic and worry about what could be wrong with her, he almost doesn't hear the last words she utters before unconsciousness takes her over.

"You said that before."

**A/N - Ok cliffhanger I know... but since this is my first story and actually first attempt writing period I want to know what you guys think before I write anymore. Do you love it? Do you hate it? Does it have any potential? Give me anything guys and I will seriously appreciate it :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Stolen Memories of Devotion**

**Disclaimer: I still own less than the amount of change a penniless hobo keeps in his pockets.**

**A/N – Sorry it took so long to update guys but thank you for the amazing response I received from the first chapter. You all have really pushed me to make this story the best I can, I hope you enjoy this chapter and the rest of the story as it continues :D**

**Chapter 2 – **

Damon was starting to worry as he turned around from where he was leaning against the fireplace to glance at the clock. It had been over fifteen minutes since Elena had collapsed. He walks over to the couch he had laid her on after she fell and crouches down in front of her.

Slowly bringing his hand up to her face, he lets his thumb stroke her soft cheek before gently running his fingers through some of her hair that had fallen over her face. As he tucks the hair behind her ear, he can't seem to stop a smile from appearing on his face as he remembers telling her on their trip to Georgia that he liked her better when she was sleeping.

'Not necessarily true of course, considering I find her irresistible no matter what she's doing.' As that thought crosses his mind, he finds himself staring at her lips, recalling the way they felt and tasted against his the two times he had the pleasure of kissing her.

Damon suddenly stops his train of thought before any kind of hope concerning Elena tries to weasel its way into his brain, dig its claws into him, and make a home for itself. Especially considering she's probably not going to be too happy with him when she finally comes to.

He stands up and makes his way over to the vast supply of liquor in the room to pour himself a stiff drink as his mind plays out the many options of how the rest of the evening could go. Just as the glass is about to reach his lips, he hears her let out a slightly pained moan as she starts to regain consciousness. He freezes for a moment before putting his glass down and turning to watch her as she slowly gets her bearings and starts to put together the pieces of what just happened.

It took Elena a few minutes to figure out where she was when she first woke up. As she sat up she tried to recall anything that would explain what had led to her sleeping on the couch in the Salvatore boarding house, feeling like someone - or something - had mistaken her head for a drum set.

Leaning forward and putting her head in her hands, she tries to somehow relieve the massive headache she had acquired. She doesn't even realize he is there till she feels a hand touch her shoulder, scaring the living hell out of her and causing her to let out the girliest scream either one of them has ever heard.

"Christ, Damon! Learn to make more noise when you walk. You scared me to death…" She snapped at him before quickly running her hands over her face and through her hair, trying to calm her frazzled nerves.

Not even feeling the tiniest bit bad for scaring her - considering she just about blew his fucking eardrums out with her mutant, banshee lungs - he glares at her as he unleashes his famous smartass wit.

"If you expect me to take down notes on new house rules you're dishing out, after about liquefying my brains with the sound you made a second ago, that had a pitch only dogs and apparently vampires can hear, then you're crazier than my Jekyll and Hyde, Ripper of a little brother."

As Elena looks up to give him her best go-to-hell look, she freezes as she looks into eyes, bluer than the Caribbean. Before she can even blink, everything comes rushing back to her with enough force to almost take her breath away.

Damon notices the change in her as she goes from mad as hell to still as a statue. He slightly cringes then clenches his jaw, waiting for her to unleash the hounds of hell on his ass for what she has just discovered.

Moving faster than should be possible for a human, she storms right up to him and starts repeatedly shoving him with all of her might before screaming at him.

"What the hell did you do, Damon?"

He grabs a hold of her wrists to stop her movements and steady her, but she still continues to scream at him.

"How could you do this to me? I trusted you! How dare you take away my memory, you had absolutely no right!"

She yanks her hands out of his grasp, not wanting to feel his touch at the moment, and backs away from him. Damon lets out an evil chuckle.

"So it's okay for me to erase peoples' memories when _you_ don't want them to have to deal with something they can't handle. But when I do pretty much the same thing, you get all pissed off. Does that make you the pot or the kettle?" He asked, pointing out what a hypocrite she was being and unable to hold back a smirk while doing so.

She glares at him but says nothing as she realizes that he has a point. She has had him compel Jeremy twice now because she wanted to make things easier for him. 'What he did was different somehow.' What he did has her feeling like her heart was ripped out, and she's not exactly sure why.

"So you're trying to tell me, that you were just considering my feelings when you decided to confess your love to me, and then take it away. It had absolutely nothing to do with you not wanting to face the consequences of your actions." She says with a sneer on her face that makes her look more like Katherine than she ever has.

"I did what I had to do, Elena!" He yells at her angrily before softening his voice and preparing to let her see past every barrier he has ever had.

"I had to tell you once… at least once. I couldn't live with not telling you." He pauses and takes a deep breath before continuing.

"But I had to let you go. Because that day I realized something… something that I have to remind myself of _everyday_… every time I see you."

Tears start to well up in his eyes, but he holds them back, along with the lump in his throat that is trying its best to choke him up. Refusing to show how much what he is about to say kills him inside; he does his best to put on a straight face, showing no emotion.

"It's never gonna be me. No matter how much I love you… It will never be me. I will never be good enough." 'I never am,' he thinks to himself.

"So I took it away. I took it away so I didn't have to see that look of pity that is already creeping into your eyes. I don't need your pity." He snaps at her, giving her a sneer of his own.

"And I sure as hell didn't need to see it every time you glanced at me while in Stefan's arms. So if that's all you're able to give me then just get out…"

"Damon…" She says in a soft voice, filled with apology. But he didn't want that either. She walks towards him, reaching her hand out to touch his cheek, but before it reaches its destination he shoves it away from him.

"JUST GET THE HELL OUT, ELENA… GO!" He screams at her.

Without even waiting for her reaction, he turns and heads for his untouched drink and downs it without a second thought before pouring himself another one. Unwilling to watch her go, he doesn't see the tears that are now running down her face as she hurries from the house and out into the night.

As he hears the door close his emotions get the best of him and he suddenly flings the tumbler of bourbon into the fireplace, enjoying the sound of it shattering into a million pieces.

'Just like my cold, undead heart,' he thinks, letting out a sad, quiet chuckle.

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><p>After taking a quick shower and putting her pajamas on, Elena turns out the light and crawls into bed exhausted, and more than ready for this day to be over. Not wanting to think about the emotional rollercoaster that was her confrontation with Damon, quite yet, she decides to turn her thoughts to tomorrow and what she would have to deal with at school.<p>

'I wonder if Bonnie is even gonna be at school tomorrow?' She doubts it, but of course can't say for sure considering her best friend wanted nothing to do with her right now. 'Who can blame her? She keeps losing people she loves, because of me. First her Grams died from opening the tomb, then Jeremy left because I had Damon compel him, and now her mom, who she had just reunited with, was turned to save my life.'

At that thought Elena realizes that she doesn't even know if Abby decided to become a vampire, or made the choice to just die like Caroline's dad did. 'Poor Bonnie, she's probably going to feel like she lost her mom either way.'

It was hard for someone to not see the way Bonnie feels about vampires. Even hers and Caroline's friendship had been different since the perky blonde joined the ranks of the undead. Which really goes to show how upset Bonnie really was with her, considering it had been Care who had told her that Bonnie didn't want to see her tonight? Now that Elena thought about it, 'Maybe Caroline can give me some insight into how Bonnie is holding up when I see her.'

Deciding that there was nothing else to be done about that situation right now, she unwillingly turned her thoughts back to Damon. 'Where do I even start processing everything that happened between us tonight?'

The whole thing was just a jumble of ups and downs. And yet, the main thing she can't quite seem to get out of her head is the way his face had always held a look of either absolute love and devotion, or heart-wrenching pain. Both of which were caused by her and her alone.

She knew that Damon had cared for her for quite some time now, they had even shared a few kisses over the past couple of months, but she never realized just how deep his love really was, until tonight. She would be lying to herself if she said that it didn't scare her a little, it scared her _a lot_.

'I have never had anyone love me as much as he does… Not even Stefan.' She admits to herself. 'Sure, Stefan has always told me how much he loves me and would do anything for me. But in the end, he left. Damon would never leave me.' The thought pops into her head before she even knows where it came from.

She's shocked to realize just how much things have changed in her life recently. 'Since when did Damon become the one person I rely on most?' Thinking over that monumental realization, Elena tries to pinpoint the exact moment that Damon became her rock and quickly comes to the conclusion that it wasn't just one, it was a combination of many.

'Sure, he does some bad things that piss me off sometimes, like compelling my memory away.' Her bitter side chimes into the mental discussion. 'But I always trust him, and know that he will never actually hurt me. And that no matter what crazy life threatening thing happens next, he will always find a way to save me.'

As her eyes start to grow heavy and the stress of the day finally catches up with her, only one more thought crosses her mind. 'That's just how Damon is; when it comes to the people he loves.' Sleep overcomes her as the peaceful knowledge; that her blue eyed, black knight of a vampire would sooner die than let anything happen to her, seeps into her heart which can't seem to stop making more room for him every day.

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><p>Elena starts to become irritated, when in a sleepy haze she starts to realize – in the back of her mind – that the annoying sound pulling her away from a very happy dream, is her alarm going off. As she starts to move to put an end to the horrible noise, it suddenly stops on its own before she can even lift her hand. Half asleep and not really caring how it happened, she prepares to find her way back into the amazing dream she had been having.<p>

Rolling over and snuggling up to a muscular chest, she rubs her face against it enjoying the soothing scent that she would recognize anywhere. "Mmmmm, Damon," she mumbles, still not fully conscious. A low sexy chuckle and slight movement from the chest she had practically wrapped herself around suddenly brings Elena fully into the world of the awake.

Startled to find that he was actually in her bed and not just her dream, she quickly sits up and lightly slaps him on the chest. "You did it again," she whines at him before scooting over to the other side of the bed, that wasn't occupied by a gorgeous, smirking vampire, and flinging herself backwards onto it in irritation.

As his chuckles turn into full blown laughter she turns her head to glare at him with a look she hopes shows the full extent of how annoyed she is. "And what exactly do you find so funny?"

He takes a second to calm himself down and control his laughter, before answering her question. "Last time this happened, I teased you about dreaming of me because you were drooling. This time though, I know you really were. Unless of course you know another Damon, with washboard abs, that inspires your 'Mmmmm…cookies' sound." He is unable to stop his laughter from returning at the look of utter embarrassment now covering her face that had turned pink at his words.

Elena rolls over and puts her back to him as she wonders why he is even here after the way things ended the night before. "What do you want, Damon?" she asks in a tired, deflated tone.

"Oh come on 'Lena, don't be like that. I just came over here to apologize for being a bit of an ass last night," he says, holding his thumb and forefinger up about an inch apart to emphasize bit before continuing. "It's not my fault that you started the morning off molesting my hot scrumptious bod in your sleep."

Rolling over in time to see him do that sexy eye thing that always makes her stomach do flips, she can't help but laugh at his playful mood, even though she should probably still be mad at him. 'Well I wasn't exactly nice to him either.' She thinks to herself, realizing that she has already forgiven him.

"Well if you're wanting to call a truce, you can start with toning down that oversized ego of yours and making me some breakfast while I get ready." She crawls out of her bed and takes a second to stretch before looking at him again.

"You only like me for my cooking," he says with a pout.

Smiling as she heads into the bathroom, "Damn straight," she throws over her shoulder with a giggle before closing the door.

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><p>Feeling fully refreshed as she walks into the kitchen, she takes a minute to admire the somehow erotic sight that was Damon cooking for her, before the delicious smell of bacon, pancakes, sausage and eggs in the air made her stomach growl.<p>

Hearing her body voice its need for food, Damon couldn't stop himself from teasing her again as he placed the plate of food on the counter for her. "I know what you're really hungry for is me, but since I'm not on the menu today, you better eat your breakfast before it gets cold. Especially since you had me slaving over a hot stove to make it."

As he winked at her, Elena rolled her eyes but said nothing as she dug into her breakfast. Damon propped against the counter and just watched her enjoy her food for a minute before making small talk. "Where's Ric at this morning? Shouldn't he be here playing house and making sure you get to school on time like a good little girl?"

"I don't know he wasn't here when I got home last night. Maybe he spent the night at Meredith's or something."

Drawing in a deep breath of mock surprise, Damon couldn't resist making a joke at the vampire hunter, turned teacher's expense. "On a school night! Well somebody's definitely not getting the parent of the year award anytime soon." He let out a short laugh before clearing away the dishes she had just finished using.

"I just want him to be happy. Besides, I'll see him at school." Giving him a little shrug to show that it wasn't a big deal. Especially since she was once again distracted by how alluring it was watching him do domestic housework.

"Do you want a ride? I was going to check in with him today anyways." He said, returning her nonchalant tone, not noticing her distracted state, to busy trying to hide his concern for his friend, who had almost _really_ died recently.

"Sure that sounds good, but it means you will have to come back and pick me up after since I won't have my car and Ric usually stops by the Grill after school."

He sighs with completely fake irritation. "Fine, I will be your taxi service today and only today, considering I don't have any _particularly_ diabolical plans that need to be fulfilled." He gave her a smile before waving his hands around a little to indicate for her to get her stuff so they could go.

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><p>The drive to the high school had been peacefully quiet the whole way; both occupants deep in thought and rehashing in their minds everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Elena couldn't stop worrying about Bonnie, and was so anxious to find Caroline to talk to her, that she was subconsciously fidgeting in her seat from nerves.<p>

Damon had noticed her behavior soon after they left her house. Figuring out what had her so on edge wasn't hard to do, but once he did it had him asking himself questions about how well she seemed to be handling everything. 'Why is she not still mad at me?'

He couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that even though they had had a pretty big blow up last night, not only had she been dreaming about him this morning but she had also let him off the hook with no other demands than breakfast, which he would gladly make for her anytime.

'Well it probably won't be to long till she gets together with Witchy and Vampire Barbie and let's them convince her of what an evil, soulless, bloodsucking bastard I am.' He found himself slightly saddened by that thought, wishing that they could maintain the happy, playful mood they had had all morning.

As he pulled into the parking lot of Mystic Falls High he decided he would postpone the rest of his masochistic pondering till later. Right now he needed to check in with his best friend. As he turned the car off he looked over to find Elena so deep in thought still that he didn't think she even realized they had arrived. Using his vamp speed, and not caring who saw him, he opens her door and holds his hand out to her.

Elena was pulled out of her worrying thoughts as Damon's hand suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked around, shocked and confused as she realized that they had already made it to the school, especially since she didn't even really remember the drive there at all. Taking his offered hand she climbed out of the car. "Thank you," she muttered while tucking her hair behind her ear.

Damon gave her a quick nod in response and closed her door before falling into step with her as they headed into the building. Walking down the hallway they stopped at Elena's locker so she could grab her things for class. He looked up from watching her try to juggle her history and math textbooks in time to see Caroline heading straight towards them with a look on her face that clearly stated someone had pissed in her blood and cheerios this morning. 'Aaannnddd I'm guessing from the way her eyes are trying to pierce my chest like they're stakes that it was somehow me… Lovely,' he thought, rolling his eyes before alerting Elena to her incoming friend.

"Uh oh, looks like Blondie's not too happy to see me." He pauses as Caroline stops in front of them. "Then again the only time she does look happy to see me is when I'm having to save her pathetic life… You may want to remember that," he finishes, giving her his best 'I would be glad to hand you your heart' glare before having his attention pulled back to Elena as she cleared her throat.

"Ric should be in his classroom by now Damon, so if you wanna go ahead and talk to him I'll just catch up with you after school lets out okay." Her eyes plead with him to not make things worse and just go so she can talk to her best friend.

"Fine, whatever," he says and walks away irritated and just wanting to find the teacher so he can leave and go get himself a drink.

Both girls watch him walk away for a second before Caroline turns back around and fixes an accusatory stare on her. "What in the hell are you doing with Damon? Did you experience some kind of brain damage in between last night and now that made you forget he killed Bonnie's mom less than twelve hours ago, or do you just not care?"

"That is so unfair Caroline. You don't have all the information and right now I don't have the time to tell you. I just want to know how Bonnie's doing," she says with a tone that makes it clear she's not in the mood to put up with Care being judgmental this morning.

Caroline rolls her eyes at her friend's evasive answer before softening her tone. "How do you think she's doing, Elena? Abby has decided not to turn because of the whole, vampires being an abomination of nature, witch mentality thing. So now she's sitting at home watching another family member die because she brought them into this mess to help you."

Elena nodded her head in acceptance of her friend's words as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I never meant for any of this to happen. Can you just tell her that I love her and that I'm sorry… for everything."

Caroline looked at her friend with sympathy before pulling her into a hug. "Yeah I'll make sure to do that."

After a few moments Elena pulled out of the vampire's soothing embrace. "Thanks Care. Well I gotta get to class so I guess I will see you later. Could you just, maybe keep me up to date on the whole Bonnie situation please?"

"Sure thing," the blonde said, forcing her usual perky smile on her face before waving goodbye and heading to her first period class.

Elena wiped the tear from her face and closed her locker before walking into her Trig class and taking her seat. As the conversation she just had, played through her mind she found herself looking up at the clock to check the time. 'I can already tell it's gonna be one of those days.'

* * *

><p>After marking down her homework assignment for the night, Elena made her way out into the hall, glad that one class was over and hoping the rest of the day passed quickly so she could go home. Pulling out her phone to check her messages, she almost lets out a scream as Damon seemed to appear out of nowhere and grab a hold of her arm, gently leading her down the hallway towards the exit. "What's going on," she asks, worried by his behavior.<p>

Still pulling her along towards the car, he doesn't even turn to look at her as he answers. "I think we may have a problem. Ric isn't here and they said he didn't even call out. On top of that he's not answering any of my calls. When was the last time anybody saw him," he asks her as he opens the passenger side door so she could get in the car.

She pauses and thinks back to the night before. "I think you were one of the last people to see him before he went with Meredith to get patched up after being thrown into a wall."

After she gets in the car Damon closes her door before going around and climbing in the driver seat and starting the car. "So you're telling me that the last time he was seen he was riding off into the sunset with the sexy psycho doctor. Why do I not find that comforting?" He gives her a droll look before speeding out of the parking lot.

**A/N – I'm now exhausted and about to go to bed for the night, but hopefully I will wake up to some amazing reviews from you guys! So let me know what you think good, bad, or indifferent.**


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